Mind Games
by DarkArrow225
Summary: When Mac shows up to work with several injuries, him and Stella have to work on finding out the real plot behind what happened to him the night before
1. Chapter 1: At the Lab

**New York City Crime Lab – New York City, New York – June 27****th****, 2013**

Mac Taylor was at work about 20 minutes before the rest of his team. It had always been so. Today he had a reason to be early though. He sighed and held a hand to his head as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He was in his office.

His left arm had several cleaned cuts running diagonally and he had a busted lip. Those injuries were paired with bruised knuckles and wrists as well as more cuts on his right arm. There was even one that ran down the right side of his neck. He felt like he had been hit by his own truck, a Chevy Avalanche. He knew the team would ask. "Shit," Mac muttered quietly. He opened his eyes to look down at his desk to where his cellphone lay silently. He could call Stella and tell her he wasn't going to be here and leave right now.

Like that would _ever_ happen. That wasn't Mac. He was too stubborn to do that.

He finally took his hand away from his forehead and let his arm fall somewhat carelessly to his side. All he did was wince at the sting from his shoulder; he'd just remembered the cut on his shoulder. He closed his eyes again, regretting the events of last night.

He should've just turned around and walked away when he had the chance, or better yet, not even have left his apartment. _Why'd you do it, Taylor? Why, why, why?_ If he was honest with himself, it wasn't his fault. They would've killed him if he didn't fight back.

It still meant that he'd fought with them.

Sinclair and Gerrard were going to be all over that, Mac just knew it.

Mac grunted slightly, what had happened last night? Now he frowned a bit. He'd been getting gas at the gas station several blocks from his apartment building and out of the blue he had a gun to his head. He'd struggled with them, they'd hurt him, he'd gotten away.

He felt they weren't finished yet, but he still had no idea what to do about it. What had they wanted? _What did they want with me?_


	2. Chapter 2: The Security Footage

**20 Minutes Later…**

Stella juggled her keys, her phone, and a cup of a coffee precariously in one hand. Her other hand ran through her hair. She decided she needed to put it up in a ponytail as soon as she got the chance.

She dumped her things in her office before she headed up to see Mac as she had noted he'd been in his office. "Hey," she said before she saw his injuries. "Whoa…Mac, what happened?"

Mac sighed and looked over at her. He looked like he wasn't in an extremely good mood. "Last night I was jumped at the gas station a few blocks from my apartment," he said.

Stella looked alarmed. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Mac sighed and nodded, "Yeah, but I have no idea who did it and why," he said. From the look in his eyes and his tense muscles, Stella knew he was still stressed and possibly reliving the moments of the attack.

"Did you get checked out by a doctor?"

"Yes. I went last night after five minutes of pacing in my apartment," Mac said. "I didn't know whether to call you first or head to the hospital and call or just head to the hospital and not call."

"When did it happen?"

Mac shrugged, "10 last night?" He was guessing. He'd left the lab at 9:15. That sounded about right to him.

Stella nodded. "Security footage?" she asked, already considering the event a case she had to solve.

"I know the owner of the gas station; he should be willing to help us out as he saw me leave. I talked to him after I got away. He knows what happened."

Stella nodded, "Alright. Let's go. You and me."

Mac sighed, but he didn't argue. He stood, grabbed his phone, gun, badge, and keys before he followed Stella out of his office. She turned and snatched the keys from his hands with a slight smile, "I'm driving. You look exhausted."

Mac simply smiled slightly and let her, following her down to the parking garage to grab his Avalanche.

About 45 minutes later, the pair stood talking to the owner of the gas station.

"You alright, Mac?" the man asked as he pulled the security tape from last night.

"Yeah, I headed to Trinity General last night and got checked out. Nothing was serious, thank goodness."

The man nodded and yanked out one of the tapes with a slip of tape on it that read "SECURITY FOOTAGE: FRONT: 6/27/13 – 6am to 2am".

Mac nodded his thanks as he took the tape. "Thanks for everything, Scott. It means a lot."

Scott nodded and laid a hand on Mac's shoulder. "It's the least I can do for a friend, Mac. I hope you find those idiots."

Mac nodded, but Stella beat him to the line he had in mind. "We will."

Scott nodded and followed them to the door of the small general store that faced the pumps that made up the station, "Good luck detectives."

Mac and Stella both nodded and said a few words of thanks before they got back in the Avalanche.

Mac put on his seatbelt as a look Stella knew well crossed his face. Something had just "clicked" for him.

"What is it?"

Mac looked back to her, his eyes looking a bit brighter than they did back at the lab. "I know what vehicle they were driving."

"What was it?"

"It was a black Cadillac Escalade, probably a 2010 model or newer."

Stella nodded, "Hopefully we can get a plate from this footage," she said with a nod to the video tape lying in Mac's lap.

Mac nodded. "We get a plate, we'll have a name."

When the two of them finally made it back to the lab, the rest of the team had arrived. Danny was the first to greet the two, "Hey, where were you two?"

Mac held up to security tape he had in his right hand. "Security footage from the gas station a few blocks from my place."

Danny nodded and a concerned look crossed his face as he took in the injuries and the information. "Something happened?"

"He was jumped last night."

Danny nodded. "You alright boss?"

Mac nodded as the three of them walked in to the A/V Lab. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just need to know who and why."

Adam looked up at the sounds of the conversation. "Mac, Stella, Danny…what brings you?" he asked.

Stella looked at him and Mac handed him the tape. "We need this run; someone attacked Mac last night at the gas station. We're looking for who and we're also looking for a plate."

Adam nodded and put the tape in as Mac told him the description of the Cadillac, "The car we're looking for a plate number on is a black Cadillac Escalade."

Adam nodded again. "What time?" he asked.

Mac shrugged and frowned slightly, "Start by trying around 10pm. I left the lab at 9:15; the gas station was my first stop."

Adam nodded once more, "Want me to call you when I get something?"

Mac nodded, "Yeah, that works." He turned to Stella, who seemed to already know what he was going to say. "You want me to go over your injuries, don't you?" she asked. Mac smiled slightly, "We need to know if we can get anything of our attackers from both me and my truck," he said. He looked at Danny, "I want you to handle that part. Call if you find anything and know that me and Stella's prints are probably the freshest sets of prints you'll find. You're looking for someone that we probably don't know."

Danny nodded and headed to the garage to pick up Mac's truck and process it as Stella took Mac to her office with her kit in hand.

As she pulled the things she would need out of her kit she asked Mac what he remembered.

"One minute, I'm standing there getting ready to leave, the next, I'm struggling with two unknown males that have a .40 caliber semi-automatic and a knife."

Stella nodded and took his right hand in one of hers while holding her camera in the other. She frowned slightly as she looked over the bruising and cuts. "You struggled with them, right?" she asked, wanting to make sure she knew exactly what happened.

Mac nodded. "Yeah."

The rest of the process was carried out with a few more questions and then a companionable silence as Mac let her work without protest.

All the while, the only thing going through Mac's mind was a question. _Who were they and what did they want with me?_


	3. Chapter 3: Cut Fuel Line

**In The Garage…**

Danny lay flat on his back with his penlight in hand. He was staring up at the underside of Mac's Avalanche. Something seemed off. He frowned and shifted the beam of the light around a bit more. After a few more moments of looking around, he crawled out from under the truck and stood. He thought he knew what was up. He opened the hood of the truck and looked down at the engine, checking around to make sure he knew his theory was correct.

"Holy shit," He muttered as he slammed the hood to the truck. "Idiots cut the fuel line!"

He quickly, and he admitted, quite clumsily, pulled out his phone and chose Mac's number off his speed-dial list.

After a ring or so, he got his expected answer. _"Taylor."_

"_Mac, you won't believe what I found on your truck!"_ Danny exclaimed.

"_What's up with it?"_ Mac asked him. Danny could tell he was wore-out from last night. He hated the idea of having to throw this all down on Mac at the moment.

"_I noticed something was off, so I started looking around under the truck and under the hood. It turns out someone cut your fuel line, boss."_

There was a few moments of silence before Danny heard Mac tell him, _"I'll be down there in five. Keep looking."_

With that, Danny ended the call and sighed as he looked back at Mac's Avalanche.

"What the hell is this all about?"

Stella and Mac walked briskly down to the garage.

"What did Danny tell you?" Stella asked as she looked at the somewhat shocked expression on her coworker's face.

"He said someone cut my fuel line."

"What?"

"Someone cut the fuel line on my Avalanche, that truck is basically a ticking time bomb!"

Stella looked at him. Sympathy. Mac saw it on her face and right now he didn't feel up to being too picky about it. Usually he would be too stubborn to accept sympathy. Right now, Mac had a headache and a spine-tingling feeling that he was being watched.

"Danny!" Mac called as him and Stella finally reached the garage. "Tell me you got something a bit more positive?"

Danny was standing in front of a laptop that was set up on a table beside the Avalanche. Mac didn't even wait for an answer as he pulled his own penlight and slid under his truck, looking up at the underside with the light on.

"I managed to pull a partial from the fuel line and the gas tank cover," Danny said. "I still have to go over the rest of the truck, and the inside, but I have those partials already running through AFIS."

"Son of a bitch!" Mac muttered. He crawled back out from under the truck and stood as he put his penlight back in his pocket.

"Fuel line's cut?" Stella asked.

Mac nodded. "What the hell is this all about?" he muttered, shrugging and tossing his hands in the air with a frown on his face.

Stella sighed and laid a hand on his shoulder calmly. "We're going to find out."

Just as she said that, Mac jumped and spun on his heels. He looked startled. Stella looked at him for a moment before following his gaze. Her and Danny couldn't help but notice how tense he was.

"You alright Mac?"

Mac sighed. He forced his muscles to relax as he looked over his shoulder at first Stella and then Danny. "I get the feeling I'm being watched."

Stella and Danny exchanged a glance as Stella turned to him and Mac began pacing the length of his truck.

"What do you mean, 'watched'?" Stella asked as Danny and her both fixed concerned gazes on their boss.

"I'm saying they're not finished yet," Mac said, staring at the ground with his hands on his hips as he paced.

"Not finished?" Danny asked. The more Mac said the less Danny and Stella were following him.

"I'm saying that what happened last night…it doesn't feel like that was the end of it," Mac said, finally speaking in a "language" Stella and Danny understood.

"It makes sense. They attack you; they cut your fuel line…maybe as a backup plan in case the kidnapping didn't work?" Stella said, putting out what she knew was Mac's train of thought.

"Then that means this whole thing is bigger than we originally thought," Danny said.

Mac nodded. "Which means they're not finished yet. They wanted something from me last night, what they wanted I didn't get a chance to figure out because I wasn't going to hang around without a fight."

He sighed and paced up and down the length of the truck a few more times before he finally stopped himself. He looked directly at Stella and Danny. "The cut fuel line means they want me dead. This is personal."


	4. Chapter 4: Past History

**A/V Lab…15 minutes later…**

"Adam, tell me you got something," Mac said. He was alone as he walked in to the A/V Lab.

"I got a plate number on the Cadillac that left the gas station after you got away, and it led me to a name," Adam said as he pulled up his results.

"Aaron Tracker?" Mac asked, looking at the screen in front of him.

"Priors for assault, drug dealing, possession, and I got a case that you worked on in his history as well," Adam said, pulling up the case from the database.

Mac nodded, "He was my prime suspect in the murder of Abigail Hernandez," Mac said, taking a seat in the nearest chair he could find.

Adam looked at him, "So…what are you thinking, boss?" Mac had on that look that Adam had seen before. Something was on Mac's mind and from the look on his face, it was troubling him.

"Aaron Tracker got away," Mac said. "I wasn't able to complete that case for a lack of evidence proving anyone's guilt. Aaron Tracker told me something that night I left him leave the precinct," Mac explained.

Adam nodded and looked at him. "What'd he tell you?"

Mac looked over at Adam. "He said, 'Watch your back'."

Stella walked with Mac as they headed to see Sid down in Autopsy. "So you're saying that Aaron Tracker is involved?"

"Yes, and I'm saying that this could possibly be a follow up on what he told me that night I let him walk," Mac said. He was clearly more than upset by that. "I knew he was the guy who did it, but I had no evidence to prove he was even there!"

Stella nodded. "Watch your back?"

"He believed by arresting him on so little evidence, we were wrong to arrest him in the first place. That's what he said anyways," Mac said with a frustrated sigh.

The two of them then walked in to Autopsy and Sid looked up at them. "I got your call and I pulled Abigail Hernandez's autopsy reports," he said as Mac and Stella joined him at one of the tables in the room. Laid out on the table were photographs, tox panel results, and other things from the full autopsy report. "If you don't mind my asking, why are we suddenly interested in this case again?" Sid asked.

"I think he was involved in attacking me last night and cutting my fuel line," Mac replied as he looked at the autopsy results and tox panel.

Sid nodded. "How's he involved?"

"Adam managed to pull a plate off the Cadillac the men had. The truck belongs to him," Mac said.

Sid looked at him. "Then I suggest you be careful, Mac."

Mac looked at him and Stella watched as the two of them shared a knowing look. "Why do you say that?"

Mac sighed and laid the reports back on the table and walked away as Sid watched him with sympathetic eyes. "Abigail's case hit him hard. She was only 15 years old and he had no evidence to prove who killed her. Her mother was heartbroken. Mac told her himself that she was murdered and later went back to tell her that he couldn't prove who killed her. It took its toll on him," Sid told Stella.

Stella nodded and looked followed Sid's gaze to look at Mac. "This second round of this guy isn't going to be any easier."

Sid nodded. "I'm just hoping this time we don't have to worry about him coming back."

Mac had stood alone for a moment, his mind going back to that winter day when he had to tell Debbie Hernandez that her daughter had been brutally murdered. He also remembered the day he went back and told her he hadn't found enough to prove who killed her daughter. Debbie had not been angry at Mac. In fact, Mac had been the one standing there as she cried. He had been her shoulder to cry on. To this day, Mac had no idea why he had.

Now Mac just figured he'd done it because he knew the pain of loss with no closure. He'd lost Claire, and today, he still didn't know if he'd ever have closure. That kind of pain can only be understood by people who know it. At least, it seemed to be that way.

Debbie had lost her husband just two years earlier. Then she'd lost her daughter. Mac staid with her for that night. They'd talked. They'd shared experiences.

Most of all, they talked about loss. They talked about the pain of losing those closest to you. Mac had talked about Claire. Debbie had told him about her husband. It was a night Mac knew he would never forget.

He sighed and started for the lab. He needed a lead on this case. He needed to get rid of the feeling someone was watching him at all times, the feeling that someone was prying their way in to his life with the intention of making it a living hell.

He needed to find out who else was involved. He needed to find out why.


	5. Chapter 5: Heartbreaker and Heartstopper

**Author's Note:**

**Silly me did not include this at the beginning of the fourth chapter like I intended to. (Guess I was just as eager as you guys to find out what happened next…lol) This is just a note to thank you all for your reviews. This is my first story here and the first I've done in a while, so I'm very glad to see all of you like it! I appreciate the reviews and I hope you're still with me, because this chapter is when the real trouble begins!**

**Later that night…**

Mac groaned. He felt sore. Blinking his eyes open, he realized he was nowhere near where he originally thought he was. His attempt to bring a hand to his head wasn't successful and he could only wince as he felt metal bite in to his wrists. He started to look around more at his surroundings as what had happened to him slowly became clearer to him.

He was alone. His hands were bound behind his back and his ankles were tied to the legs of the chair. Around him, the room was mostly empty. Only a table sat on one side of the room, not too far off from what seemed like a rather old door. What alarmed Mac was what lay on the table. Several knives. Each one slightly longer than the other. Knowing the situation was looking bad, Mac struggled to call up what happened to him to get here.

The last thing he remembered was leaving the lab. Somewhere after that something must have happened. He turned to look to the right of him. A small window revealed it was night time. That being determined, he knew he hadn't been out for an extremely long time. Or had he? Had it been hours or days? Could it have been weeks even? He scrunched his eyebrows together. It didn't matter really; he still didn't know what the hell happened.

He turned his head back to the door as he heard it swing open with a loud creaking noise. The woman that stepped inside was a woman Mac thought he would never hear from or see again in his entire life.

He hadn't wanted to anyways.

He knew it was her from the red hair and the nasty smile he could see although the hood of her cloak kept most of her face hidden.

She stepped over and selected the longest-and what Mac thought looked like the sharpest-out of the four knives lying on the table. She then pulled her hood back and Mac's eyes went wide and he realized he'd guessed right.

"Peyton…Peyton, what happened?"

Peyton walked over to him and gently laid two fingers against his lips and Mac immediately tried to pull away. "I'll tell you, but not now," Peyton said.

Mac glared at her. "I'm not sure I follow you there," he said. He used a rather cautious tone as he watched her toy with the blade of the knife as her gaze wandered over her face, arms, and shirt. Mac frowned, he didn't like that.

Peyton finally flashed Mac a seductive smile and playfully pointed the knife at him. "You think you're going somewhere soon?" she asked him. Mac just watched her with a cold, sapphire-colored glare, so she continued. "Then you better think again. I know about what happened last night, Mac. I was there."

Mac stared at her. "You worked with Aaron Tracker," he said.

Peyton nodded. "Yes, Mac. I was the one with the knife."

Stella yawned as she looked at her computer. It was late and she really needed to go home, but she desperately needed a lead on Mac's attack the night before. They had nothing to help them identify the other two attackers. She frowned. She considered getting coffee from the break room, but she knew it wouldn't help her.

Besides, it wouldn't taste all that great either.

She looked up as a tired Danny walked in to her office. "I finally got a match for all those damn prints I pulled off of Mac's truck," he announced as he plopped himself in a chair opposite of Stella and laid down his stack of papers.

Stella nodded. "Who are our lucky winners?"

"Well, besides you and Mac, Aaron Tracker came up, so I'm thinking he was the one who cut the fuel line. His prints were the only set of prints I found on the fuel line. I found three different sets on the tailgate though," Danny said, sifting through his papers.

"Spill," Stella said.

Danny readjusted his glasses and handed Stella three different sheets of paper. "Ronnie Del Toro, Erin Decker, and Peyton Driscoll."

"What?" Stella exclaimed suddenly, letting the three papers fall to her desk. "She's supposed to be in London!"

"I know! I know! And Erin Decker we talked to earlier, Mac and I, and he leaned against the tailgate of Mac's truck, so he's out of the picture," Danny said.

Stella was still staring at him in plain shock. "But…but Peyton's prints?"

"Fresh set, too!" Danny said, nodding.

Stella looked down at the three papers. "We have to find out how her prints got there, and we need to talk to this Del Toro character."

Mac watched Peyton carefully as she circled him slowly. Their eyes locked until Peyton walked behind him. He heard her stop and felt her run a hand over the cuts on his arms. Mac looked down at the floor, wondering what her point was and just wanting to get away from her. He struggled with the cuffs around his wrists a bit as he felt her trace over the cuts.

Suddenly, Peyton whipped her other arm out so she held the sharpened blade of the knife against his throat. Mac stopped instantly and his eyes widened a bit in surprise at the sudden offensive movement.

"The more you fight with me, the slower I'm going to make this be. That means the more torture you're going to have to put up with. It's your decision Mac. I can't make it for you…although…I could if I wanted to."


	6. Chapter 6: Threats of Darker Things

"Peyton, stop! Please!" Mac was begging with her. It was one of the first times in a long time he remembered feeling desperate. Peyton slammed him against the wall and he gasped in pain before she held a hand firmly against his shoulder, pinning him to the wall. He felt Peyton dig the tip of the knife in to his skin and he winced.

Peyton flashed a satisfied smile at this, digging the blade deeper and watching the blood slide down his neck. "Why should I?" she hissed as she stopped hurting him with the knife and let her hand fall to her side, letting Mac slide to his knees. The detective winced and Peyton gripped the collar of his shirt, dragging him back up on his feet. "Keep fighting with me and I'll tie you down again."

Mac finally looked back at her, pain gleaming in his eyes. He didn't want to show her how much she was getting to him, but he didn't have control. No control at all, not over his emotions, not over his body, no control over anything. He was exhausted. She'd held him here and attacked him many a time in the past hours. Those few hours seemed like forever to Mac.

Still with a hold on the collar of his shirt, Peyton sat him down in the chair again and put the handcuffs back around his wrists. She even went as far as putting a gag in his mouth. Mac closed his eyes against the pain, trying to block out the nightmare that he was in. Peyton grabbed a stool and sat down in front of him. She admired the work she had done by looking over the long cut that ran across Mac's right shoulder.

Too exhausted and wore-out to protest, Mac only raised his eyes to look at her as he leaned his head back against the back of the chair. Peyton looked over at the door as two others walked in to join her and her prisoner.

Mac recognized one of them instantly. Standing at roughly 5' 10'' with brown hair and dark green eyes was Aaron Tracker. Mac looked at the three of them as they stood in front of him.

Surely this situation couldn't get any worse. He knew two of his attackers, both of them were from his past. The third, Mac didn't quite recognize. This must have been evident in his gaze because Aaron said, "This is a friend of mine, Ronnie Del Toro."

Peyton picked up, "He's the one that cut your fuel line."

Mac looked at her. He didn't know what to say and with the gag in his mouth, couldn't say anything anyways.

Peyton turned the two others, "Would've been cleaner to get him the first time," she growled at them, slapping each along the back of their heads. Both men flinched from the blow and Mac thought he heard them mumble something along the lines of, "Sorry boss."

So that was it then? Peyton had found two others from Mac's past who wanted him dead like her and they'd worked together? Not good. Mac could just see what would happen next. Peyton looked back at him and his gaze shifted to the floor and he let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. He wanted out of here, with his life if possible. He wanted away from her. From all of them.

He didn't even look up as Peyton walked over to him, sitting on the stool in front of him once more. This time, Ronnie and Aaron looked over her shoulders for a moment at her work before they walked around Mac. Each one of them went in a different direction-one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. It made Mac feel like he was being circled by sharks and Peyton made him feel like he was staring down a big cat from Africa.

Peyton ran a hand over his shoulder, specifically staying along the still bleeding cut on his shoulder. It made Mac wince. Peyton only smiled, seemingly enjoying herself. She then gently took ahold of his head, making him look up at her. Mac looked back at her with a weary look in his eyes. He was finished with fighting with her. He just couldn't do it anymore, even if he wanted to. Again, this must of registered somewhere on his face as Peyton pulled the gag from his mouth, Mac licking the blood from his lips and looking down at the floor again. The whole time he felt Aaron's and Ronnie's eyes fixed on him.

"I can't do this anymore Peyton," Mac finally said. His voice sounded rough, even to him. He looked back at her, his head hurt and he was sore from head to toe.

"Then leave with me and I'll stop this," she said, pulling the knife she had earlier and handing it to Ronnie who stood behind Mac, using the tip of the knife to play at the old cuts from the night before's attack. Mac gritted his teeth against the pain and he looked at Peyton.

"You got my answer to that before. I won't be with you after what you did to me," Mac managed to tell her through his pain.

Peyton simple nodded. "I knew you'd say that, so I figured you'd need a little convincing," she said. She stood and nodded to Ronnie, who immediately stopped picking at Mac's cuts. Peyton stood Mac up and held a hand over his mouth as she walked him to the door and down a hallway.

He had no idea where they were going. Soon enough though, Peyton showed him. Mac's eyes traveled around the room and he was almost immediately straining against Peyton's grip on him.

"Shh, shh, shh…Mac, I'm not going to use this room unless you make me," Peyton whispered as she rested her chin on his shoulder from behind him.

Mac's eyes were wide as he scanned the room and its "wall hangings." What he saw here was almost unlike anything he'd ever seen in over 10 years on the NYPD. If he'd seen it before, it had been a long time ago. Chains, crow-bars, and other things hung from the dark walls. Peyton finally withdrew her hand from being clamped over his mouth and she took a look around, shrugging casually.

"So Mac, what's it going to be?"


	7. Chapter 7: Revelation

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks again for all of your reviews! I hope you're not too lost with this line of storytelling, but anyways! Back to the story:**

**One Hour Later…**

"Damn it!" Danny muttered, slouching back in his chair as he tossed his cell phone to the table in front of him. Stella sighed beside him and stared at the words on the screen of the computer.

She frowned. "Well, that means he either has his phone off, the phone's dead, or his phone's broke."

"We know all of them are highly unlikely knowing Mac!" Danny said. "I mean…unless something happened to him, none of those are remotely possible!"

Stella shook her head and bit at her lip. She felt sick. She had a feeling something had happened to Mac and it wasn't good. "Try hunting down my Avalanche through the GPS System," she said.

Danny nodded and sat up again, entering the information in to the system and sitting back again as the software began to narrow down the location of the truck. Stella had loaned him her Avalanche seeing as Mac's was in the garage with a cut fuel line.

Both of them sat up as they got a location. "Brooklyn? Why would he be in Brooklyn?" Stella asked.

Danny shrugged, "It doesn't matter. We need to get out there and find out what happened!"

Mac heard the door slam shut behind him. He didn't even look back. He simply got himself back up on his feet and looked around the small room as he wiped the blood from his face with one hand, struggling to ignore the pain that shot through him as he stood there.

He sank back to the floor and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. He hadn't given in to Peyton's demands and she'd given him a damn good reason to. He opened his eyes and gave himself a glance over.

The team was probably worried sick.

He sighed. He looked like he'd been through hell. Felt that way too. Guess he couldn't say anything.

Peyton said she would leave him here. As much as Mac needed help and a hospital, that was pretty alright with him at the moment. She'd left him alone and Aaron and Ronnie had left with her.

After what torture they'd put him through, Mac was pretty fine with them being gone.

His body wasn't though. His shoulder hurt like no tomorrow. Correction, his whole body felt that way and Mac gritted his teeth against a fresh wave of pain. With the experience of working as a CSI for a while, it wasn't hard for Mac to imagine the final autopsy report right now.

That fact scared him.

What had scared him the most was what Peyton had turned in to. She was nowhere near the person he'd once known. She had once been kind and friendly, with a smile on her face when they talked. They'd been friends.

Then they'd broken up. Then a whole lot of other shit happened. Then this? No. What he'd seen tonight was a monster. She'd become a monster.

What was the world coming to these days?

This job made you wonder that all the time. Then he remembered all those cases that hit too close to home for him and other members on his team. Those moments were the things that kept them human. He remembered telling that to Adam one time.

He'd been asked what he would miss the most before if he'd died. Mac knew his answer would be the same now as it was then.

He'd miss the people. He'd miss the team. They were really the only family he had left anymore.

Mac shook his head in an attempt to throw off those kinds of thoughts. He winced. It worked though. If the team were going to find them, he'd better straighten himself up and start helping them, quit thinking about what could happen if he couldn't take it, if they came back.

He wasn't going to let his team go through that if he had a choice.

Stella, Danny, and Flack stood at beside Stella's Avalanche. The driver side door was wide open and the engine was still running. The headlights were still on. There were signs of a minor struggle. From the looks, he'd been kidnapped.

From the lack of signs of a struggle, whoever had had used a sedative, probably chloroform or something similar.

"We're running out of time. We've already lost five hours, if not more," Stella finally brought herself to say.

Don nodded; there was a look of pure shock on his face. "He's a fighter, Stell. We'll find him."

"Yeah, I just hope we find him in time," Stella said quietly.

Danny walked over to her and silently laid a hand on her shoulder as he kneeled down beside her. The three of them were quiet for a moment before Danny pulled his phone.

"I'll call Hawkes and let him know. He can tell the rest of the team at the lab," he said. Stella nodded and stood as he did.

Walking over to Don, her and Flack turned their gazes out to the city. "He could be anywhere."

"We're gonna find him," Flack repeated, putting a hand on her shoulder. He looked back to the Avalanche for a moment before his gaze returned to the city. "We're gonna find him."


	8. Chapter 8: Closure

**Early That Morning…**

_Stella heard a scream. Her eyes were filled with horror as she recognized that "voice." Then she heard yelling, still the same voice._

"_GOD DAMN IT, PEYTON! STOP!"_

_Stella flinched. There was pain and desperation in that voice. It chilled her to the bone. Then she looked over as the door swung open. She'd been alone until a man stepped through the door. She'd heard Peyton called him Ronnie. She was wondering if it was the same Ronnie Danny had told her about._

_Ronnie looked over his shoulder as Aaron joined him, towing a struggling, but weak Mac with him. Stella struggled to get as far away from the two men as she could as Aaron tossed Mac roughly to the floor. Mac grimaced and Stella raced forward without hesitation as Aaron and Ronnie left._

_Mac looked up through slightly blurred vision. "Stel…Stella?" he stammered, sounding completely disoriented._

_Stella felt a tear slide down her cheek as she took in the several injuries that had turned Mac in to a desperate shadow of his usual, strong self. "Yeah…Mac…It's me," she said, gently laying a hand on his shoulder as she continued to kneel beside him._

_Mac nodded and Stella's heart was broken as she noticed how much of a struggle Mac had to talk to her. "When did they get to you?" he asked, swallowing hard as he looked up at Stella._

_He felt too weak to even try and sit up._

"_Just about an hour ago," Stella said. She ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to soothe him. "Ronnie and Aaron picked me up after we found my truck," she said._

_Mac nodded regret appeared in his eyes, battling with the pain and the bit of relief already showing there. It was far from the determination she usually saw in his sapphire gaze. There was nothing but the shape and voice to suggest that the beaten man lying before her was the Mac Taylor she knew._

_What he said next tore Stella's heart in to a million different pieces._

"_I'm sorry, Stell…I never…"_

"_Don't!" Stella cut him off, unable to hold back the tears now. "Don't say that! This isn't your fault!"_

That's when Mac heard his name. He barely understood the words at first, but as he blinked in an attempt to clear his vision, he heard his name repeated again.

"Mac! Mac, c'mon! Wake up!"

The room was white and beside him, Mac made out the outline of someone. That startled him and he was instantly fully alert and he sat up, looking around with terror in his eyes before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Mac! Mac, take it easy! You're ok!" he heard a female's voice tell him. He looked over at the woman sitting beside him and it took a moment before he started to come to his true senses.

"Stella?" he asked. He felt completely disoriented and he had no idea where he was.

He heard the relief in her voice as she exclaimed, "Oh my God, you're alright!"

Mac let her gently lay a hand on his cheek and he couldn't help but flash a half-smile.

"Where am I?"

"Trinity General Hospital, Mac," Stella told him.

Mac frowned a bit and furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened?" he asked slowly.

"We found you in a disused large home several miles outside of New York, Mac. You were unconscious and we couldn't waste time," Stella said.

Mac nodded. "I…I thought they had you…"he said, his voice was quiet and the haunted look returned to his eyes.

Whatever he'd gone through, Stella realized it had scared him witless and he'd been gravely hurt by the event.

"No, Mac. You were kidnapped after you left the lab last night," Stella said. "They had you all night."

Now it started to make sense again and he willingly lay back on the bed and sighed as bits and pieces of Peyton, Aaron, and Ronnie attacking him over and over again slowly fell in to place again.

"Peyton….Peyton, Aaron Tracker and Ronnie Del Toro," he said slowly.

Stella nodded. "They're back at the precinct. Don's grilling them right now along with Danny and Hawkes," she told him.

Mac relaxed a bit more and it was clear to Stella that although he was still being haunted by whatever they'd done, he was starting to feel a bit safer and more at ease.

She hated to ask him, but she needed to know. "Mac…what did they do to you?"

Pain flooded Mac's sapphire eyes at the question and he looked down at his hands, playing at the bracelet on his wrist with his admission information on it.

Stella laid a hand on his shoulder and Mac raised his head just a bit, but he did not raise his eyes to her.

"Things that I never thought Peyton would ever do," Mac said. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I'd never wish what happened to me on anyone."

"What happened?" Stella pried gently.

Mac finally looked up at her. "She had a knife. The three of them attacked me several times and I kept resisting her. She finally said she wanted me to go with her, but I continued to refuse. That's when they chained me down," he said. The fear in his eyes startled Stella and Mac looked to the window which was open to an amazing view of the New York City skyline.

Silence lay thickly in the room for a moment before Mac finally continued.

"There was just about every weapon you could think of it that room, Stella. Crowbars, ductape, chains, knives…" Mac just shook his head. "Anything you could possibly think of to torture someone with was in that room."

Stella was shocked as Mac continued on. He told her everything he remembered, from Peyton's seductive smile to Aaron and Ronnie throwing him to the floor before kicking him and hitting him repeatedly. When he'd finally finished his story, he let out a shaky sigh and Stella found herself gripping at his hand.

What made her smile was that he gripped her hand back. He looked up at her, "I'm just glad you're ok. Glad that you guys found me, I knew I could count on all of you."

Later, Don and the rest of the team had piled in to the hospital room where Mac had been put and Mac already seemed a little less stressed from the encounter.

As they watched Mac and Stella, Stella sitting on the bed beside Mac with her hand laced with his, they couldn't help but smile.

"So, what are you two planning?" Danny piped up.

Mac looked over at him. It was clear he hadn't been prepared for the question. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

Stella elbowed Mac lightly, careful not to hurt him. "I think we both know what they're talking about."

Mac smiled and looked over at her. "Yeah, I know. Lecture me later," he said. Stella smiled and the two of them kissed.

Don threw his hands in the air. "Oooooohhhhhh, BUSTED!" he exclaimed, making everyone in the room laugh.

Mac smiled as did Stella and he looked over at Danny. "Mind helping me out?" he asked.

Danny flashed him a smile and handed him a ring out of his pocket.

Stella looked up at Mac with surprise in her eyes and Mac just smiled. "I know this may seem like a strange time to ask and it's probably a huge shocker to everyone right now, but I've had plenty of time to think about this Stella," he said. He took her hand in his. "Stella, will you marry me?"

Stella smiled softly and felt tears of happiness start to slide down her cheeks and she clapped her free hand over her mouth for a moment, just looking at Mac.

"Yes, yes I will."

Stella smiled and Mac did as well as Stella allowed him to slide the ring on her finger. Lindsay smiled and put an arm around Danny. There was a moment of silent happiness in the room before Don looked around.

"Everyone's thinking it, but I'm just saying it…This sounds like a few beers at the bar later?" he asked with a shrug. Mac and Stella smiled. "We'll be there," he said.

The rest of the team nodded and there was a chorus of agreement that they'd be there.

So, just a week after Mac was released from the hospital, the team was gathered around a table in a bar in the city. Everyone had a drink in hand and there was smiles, jokes, and laughter exchanged. Mac was beside Stella and Stella elbowed him as he took a drink from his bottle. Mac smirked and barely managed to keep his drink in his mouth. He swallowed and looked over at her. "What?" he asked.

Stella sniggered. "You should tell us a story!" she said.

Mac smiled and Don clapped him on the shoulder from beside him as the rest of the team agreed.

"Alright, alright, you silly guys!" Mac said a bit loudly to get them all to quiet down. Danny smirked and tossed a rolled up ball of paper at Mac who gave Danny a jokingly stern gaze before tossing it back at him. That brought a round of laughs from everyone.

"Can I actually tell the story now?" he asked as Danny smirked again.

"Sure thing, boss," Danny said.

Mac chuckled a bit and smiled.

"Alright, I'll tell you all a story from when I was in the Marines," he said.

The group staid out for several more hours, laughing and exchanging stories. Mac and Stella shared stories from their earlier times in the NYPD and Don threw out a couple jokes while the rest of the team also shared a few stories. Then they broke up and headed home, most of them leaving to prepare for the next day's work.

The nightmare was over. Peyton, Aaron, and Ronnie were in jail. Mac and Stella were engaged, the two happily sharing the rest of that night.

Life was good.


End file.
